Olathe ? Lawrence High’s boys basketball team needed a near-perfect game to knock off top-ranked Olathe South.

But the Falcons remained perfect thanks to one poor LHS quarter, taking a 60-46 victory Thursday at South.

O-South (18-0 overall, 10-0 Sunflower League) went nuts in the second quarter, transforming a 16-14 lead into a 36-19 halftime lead. Until then, the Lions’ defense had kept the Falcons off the boards and forced them into poor shots.

“Then they had the huge quarter,” LHS coach Chris Davis said. “When they’re hitting like that, no one’s going to beat them.”

The Falcons hit seven of 16 shots in the quarter, and held LHS to 1-of-11 shooting. South had balanced production — four players scored at least five points in the quarter — making it even tougher for the Lions’ defense to focus. Combined with the vocal home crowd, it was no wonder the Falcons had an edge.

LHS (8-10, 4-5) crawled back during the fourth quarter thanks to its renewed defensive intensity, which led to easy transition buckets. LHS pulled to 47-38 after a 9-0 run to start the fourth quarter, but wouldn’t get any closer.

LHS senior Brandon McAnderson, who led the Lions with 13 points, didn’t call the game a moral victory, but the outcome wasn’t disheartening for a team hovering just below .500.

“It doesn’t get any better than this,” McAnderson said of the game’s atmosphere. “It’s good to know we can go out and compete in a hostile environment. We’re not going to play in a tougher place than this.”

Before the game, Davis reminded the Lions of last season’s 64-44 win against South, which was ranked No. 1 at the time. The win gave LHS a share of the league title.

“We have a good rivalry with Olathe South,” Davis said. “It was very easy to motivate them. Everybody came out ready to play. Our defense was making them take tough shots, and we stayed close.”

When LHS made its fourth-quarter run, the Falcons’ spread offense made things tough on the LHS defense. Whenever the Lions tried to trap the ball, South kept its cool and usually spotted the open man. As the quarter wound down, South was getting layups and short jumpers because the Lions were gassed.

O-South senior Ryan Rundberg, who scored a game-high 18 points, closed with eight in the fourth, mostly on those late buckets.

LHS sophomore David Freeman added 11 points for the Lions, who now turn their attention to Tuesday’s home game against city rival Free State. With Thursday’s game in mind, Davis thinks his squad could surprise the Firebirds, who won the teams’ earlier meeting Dec. 21.

“We had a chance to win that game, and we’ve shown that the last three games,” he said. “I think that helps us go into the next game with some more confidence.”